Fritz and Cobolli fall as US Open men's
Taylor Fritz and Flavio Cobolli were among six top-10 seeds eliminated in the US Open's first week, with Francisco Cerundolo and Alexander Blockx scoring
American ninth seed Taylor Fritz lost a two-set lead to Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo, falling 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the US Open third round. Less than an hour later, Italian fifth seed Flavio Cobolli was defeated by Belgium's Alexander Blockx 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.
"I don't even know what to say," Fritz told reporters after the match. "I don't really want to talk to anybody, see anybody." The 2024 finalist had been in control, holding an early break in the third set before Cerundolo mounted his comeback. Fritz's exit further thinned the ranks of American contenders, though Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Alex Michelsen, and Learner Tien remain in the draw.
Cobolli exit clears path for Zverev
Flavio Cobolli's defeat was a comprehensive collapse. After winning a tight first-set tie-break, the Italian lost the third set 6-0 in just 20 minutes. "I think my energy was a little bit lower than the other days," Cobolli said. "I feel a little bit more tight and maybe more tired." His loss, combined with Fritz's, leaves German top seed Alexander Zverev and American 14th seed Learner Tien as the only top-20 players remaining in the top half of the draw.
Zverev advanced with a 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 win over Chilean 25th seed Alejandro Tabilo, finishing at 1:09 a.m. Local time. He saved two set points in the second set and two break points early in the third. "My coach was smart because he explained to me that a best-of-five match doesn't mean you have to play five sets - which I didn't know until today," Zverev joked. He next faces Italian 21st seed Luciano Darderi.
How the seeds have fallen
The early rounds at Flushing Meadows witnessed a series of major upsets. The wave began on the opening day when fourth seed Novak Djokovic, chasing a historic 25th Grand Slam title, lost in five sets to Argentina's world number 49 Mariano Navone. French 10th seed Arthur Fils was a first-round casualty, falling to former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas.
In the second round, two more top contenders were eliminated. The highest seed to fall thus far is Canada's third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, who lost to Karen Khachanov. Australian sixth seed Alex de Minaur was also beaten at that stage. These exits had seemingly opened a path for Fritz and Cobolli, but neither could capitalize.
| Seed | Player | Exit Round | Defeated By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN) | Second | Karen Khachanov |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic (SRB) | First | Mariano Navone |
| 5 | Flavio Cobolli (ITA) | Third | Alexander Blockx |
| 6 | Alex de Minaur (AUS) | Second | Not specified in source |
| 9 | Taylor Fritz (USA) | Third | Francisco Cerundolo |
| 10 | Arthur Fils (FRA) | First | Stefanos Tsitsipas |
Cerundolo, the 24th seed, and 28th seed Blockx will now meet in the fourth round for a place in the quarter-finals. In men's doubles, British pair Arthur Fery and Joshua Paris advanced, as did the fifth-seeded team of Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison. Britain's David Stevenson and Marcus Willis were eliminated by French 11th seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul.
